It all got a bit busy yesterday showing Our Catherine the ropes, getting excited by Belorussian ice cream and struggling to upload our pictures via the wi-fi that I didn’t really get the time to offer you the benefit of my low wisdom on the later songs of the day. So you’ll be pleased to know my hokey opines are to follow…
The first three in brief…
Montenegro – Pleasant but forgettable. Bad dancer.
Czech Republic – Great bloke, great act, shame about the song.
Belarus – More wind machines that Sweden. And the boil-in-the-bag lady dancer looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost when the gustiness stops.
Belgium – Now I’m one of those people that Franko mentioned who loves rockabilly, and I also like this geezer’s proper band rather a lot too – and when it comes to Elvis impersonators, I’m your laddy. So you’d expect me to like this one. But somehow all those ingredients end up making a rather lumpen cake. This should be brilliant, but it ain’t, and just plods along for far too long without ever really getting any place… which saddens me greatly.
Sweden – Doesn’t do a lot differently to what she did in the Melodifestival final. The masks are still there, but she’s being shown in brutally soft focus (I think they’re learned from a couple of year’s worth of poorly lit crones) and wears a dress that looks like she’s being eaten by an elaborate cake. Folks were mocking the opera bit in the press room with all sorts of squawking.
Armenia – I’m not getting this, but it also looks like they’re hiding a fair bit of on stage shenanigans. I’ll keep a watch out on it, but on this showing, nothing much to write back to the old country about.
Andorra – Sweet, but the poor girl looks dreadfully lost. Plus the first half of the chorus reminds me of Finn Kalvik. Not a good sign.
Switzerland – Missed this, because me and she were eating a quatro formaggio pizza, with walnuts and strawberries – but the reports were good. I like the tune, but fear it’s more or a San Marino 2008 rather than a Turkey 2008.
Turkey – Not a fan of this, but it came over really well on the telly. Although the promised pyro was nothing more than a big puff at the end. I’ll leave Phil to add the smutty joke there…
All in all and enjoyable, if not predominantly unqualifying day’s entertainment. Of them I’d say that only Turkey are definitely through, and Sweden might even struggle. More fun to come!